The N1 started development in October 1965, almost four years after the Saturn V, during which it was underfunded and rushed. The project was badly derailed by the death of its chief designer Sergei …

Second launch attempt of the soviet N1 rocket on 1969/07/30, reconstructed from several short film sequences. The rocket is also shown being taken to the pad.

Oct 18, 2023 · The N1 rocket was the Soviet Union’s ambitious attempt to land cosmonauts on the Moon, but it failed in all four test flights between 1969 and 1972. Several critical factors contributed to …

On July 3, just a few weeks before Apollo 11 made its momentous landing, the apocalyptic launchpad detonation of the Soviet N1 rocket further dashed the USSR’s own ambitions for manned lunar...

On July 3, 1969, the Soviet Union’s dreams of a moon rocket went up in smoke and fire on the launch pad as the largest explosion of any rocket in history. The Soviet N1 rocket booster was a giant rocket …

Feb 21, 2020 · The N1's first stage, Block A, was the most powerful rocket stage ever fired at the time, though it failed during all four launches of the vehicle due to lack of prior static test firing.

Discover the untold story of the Soviet N1 rocket failures and how close the USSR came to beating America to the Moon.

Nov 24, 2025 · The N1 program, conducted in utter secrecy and ultimately abandoned and denied, represents the “grey zenith” of the Soviet space effort—the point at which its early, brilliant …

Preparations of the N1 No. 5L rocket on the launch pad at Site 110 went without major problems. However instead of the bitter cold of the previous launch campaign, the N1 personnel now endured …

May 25, 2025 · The N1 fell back onto the pad and exploded in a blast so huge it flattened everything around it. The explosion released energy close to that of a small nuclear bomb. It destroyed the …